Investors to take part in Mt Samat Shrine development

PILAR, Bataan – Multinational tourism-oriented entrepreneurs are projected to take part in the huge development scheme of the Mt Samat Shrine of Valor to become a world-class historical site and premier tourist spot in Central Luzon in the upland village of Diwa, this town.

Governor Albert Raymond S. Garcia has expressed his utmost enthusiasm during the presentation two weeks ago of Berkman, an urban and environment development firm, of the final draft of tourism master plan of Mt Samat to the Bataan Tourism Council Foundation members, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) and local municipal officials.

Garcia said that the establishment of Mt Samat Shrine Tourism Enterprise Zone (MSSTEZ) as a flagship project of TIEZA, the second after Luneta Park in Manila, is focusing on upgrading the existing facilities and identification of areas as tourism enterprise zone where locators are entitled to fiscal and integrated local and national tax incentives while preserving the sanctity of the shrine site.

Arch. Christina Banzon, provincial tourism officer, said the long-range expansion plan includes effective and efficiently formulation of marketing strategies to draw about two million tourists yearly to the historic peninsula.

Banzon explained that the rehabilitation and improvement of existing establishment of leisure-type amenities and exceptional structures comparable to the internationally-acclaimed standard set for World War ll museums, center for World War ll studies and memorials in other countries will be packaged as educational and heritage tourism attractions.

She mentioned the proposed construction of a Swiss model, high-speed and high-capacity four kilometer cable car worth P 600 million and implementation of mixed-use commercial structures with restaurants, bars, retail shops, offices and hotel and residential units are added features to make Mt Samat an attractive tourist destination in the country.

Citing the master plan, Banzon added that the document which would open great potential for local and investors to work for the integration of Mt Samat into Manila to Corregidor Island tourist itinerary via the ferry boat service would provide unforgettable experiences for tourists to reminisce the heroic role of war veterans of the island fortress to the Bataan peninsula.

Department of Tourism (DOT) records showed an average of 140,000 foreign and local tourists had reportedly visited Mt Samat yearly, however, a large number of them complained of lack of decent dining and lodging places as well as souvenir shops ,retain stores for basic supplies and other spending facilities near the shrine site.